When you ask Constable Brian Montague of the Vancouver Police Department what the best investment a bike owner can make, he answers without hesitation.
Its always a good bike lock, he answers. You should always spend money on a good, quality U-type lock. Its like a home. You wouldnt put a cheap deadbolt on your house, right?
With year-round riding conditions and bike-friendly infrastructure, Vancouver is known globally for its cycling culture the City of Vancouver says there are about 50,000 bikes on the streets and bikeways, every day. Unfortunately, with this great culture comes a large market for criminals.
In 2012, 1,839 bikes were reported stolen to the VPD and so far, in 2013, 589 thefts have been reported. These numbers do not reflect bikes thefts that were not reported.
We actually get a lot of reports of bikes being stolen and they werent locked up, Montague says. You hear about someone leaning the bike against a pole while running into a café for a coffee, and then a person walking by grabs it and rides away and its gone.
Not only does Montague urge people to lock their bikes securely, he also recommends recording the bikes serial number so it can be tracked down if it gets stolen and engraving your drivers licence number on the bike so, if found, the VPD can contact you.
Ever year, the VPD auction sells hundreds of unclaimed stolen bikes that have serial numbers but nobody to claim them. To address this, the VPD launched the Log It or Lose It program this week, which encourages Vancouverites to record the serial numbers of not only their bicycles, but any other valuable items as well.
Its an easy, proactive way to protect your belongings.
While stolen bikes can be found for sale on classified sites like Kijiji and Craigslist, the constable says they get stolen for other reasons as well, making them even more of a target.
Bikes get sold on websites and second-hand stores, but also get stolen for transportation and parts, he says. If they can sell it, theyll take it.
Tips to keeping your valuables safe:
Lock it, even if its for a couple of minutes.
Engrave personal property with your drivers license or BC ID number.
Record serial number, make, model, colour and any identifying marks and store the document (PDF: ow.ly/lFlMW) in multiple safe locations.
Photograph or video items that dont have recordable markings such as jewelry, art, heirlooms and antiques.
If your property goes missing, report it. Thousands of items obtained from crime are recovered, only to be auctioned off because the owner cant be identified.
The VPD is having a crime prevention forum June 6 from 7-9pm for members of the West End and Coal Harbour at the West End Community Centre (870 Denman, Barclay Room).
